Competitive Minecraft Has a New Option

Minecraft, the open sandbox style game Microsoft purchased — along with the entire Mojang company —  for a staggering $2.5 billion could be entering a new competitive phase. Given the recent attention towards esports from ESPN, theScore et al, it should be no surprise that Minecraft, the best selling PC game of all time, is getting some love. Over at Kickback.gg (though the site is still just an open Beta) Minecraft players have an option of going against each other either for free or with money on the line.

Between the 34 million player base on computers and consoles plus an additional 30 million mobile users, Minecraft could be on the eve of new multiplayer day. The registration at Kickback is free, though in order to win money you’ll have to deposit some cash in order to wager it. If you’re not quite ready to put your money where your mouth is, there are free games as well. For just $1 per game, any confident player will probably take a crack at it.

The player vs player matches (PvP) will take place on pre-made servers in order to prevent cheating or any suspected tampering. In a world where bets at CSGO Lounge reach millions of dollars per day on Counter-Strike matches, it was only a matter of time before competitive Minecraft cashed in. Unlike other games like ESEA, CEVO and FACEIT, there is no league entry fee  — the the latter two companies do offer free competitive ladders and leagues. It seems as though Kickback is looking to fill the cravings of a competitor on the short-term. Rather than be obligated to compete in official matches, it is a simple as joining the site and jumping in-game.

Think of it in terms of fantasy sports — rather than signing up for six months of a fantasy baseball league, Kickback is a daily sort of thing with minimal commitment. If the success of DraftKings and FanDuel is any indicator in terms of short-term entertainment, Kickback could be something big.

(Image via postapocalyptic)





You can catch David spouting off about baseball, soccer, esports and other things by following him on twitter, @davidwiers.

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